Diaper



P 1963 N. 1.. SELTZER 3,104,684

DIAPER Filed Sept. 21, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet l PICKS INVENTOR.

NORMAN L. SELTZER Sept. 24, 1963 N. L. SELTZER 3,104,684

DIAPER Filed Sept. 21, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. NORMAN L. SELTZER P 24, 1963 N. 1.. SELTZER 3,104,684

DIAPER Filed Sept. 21, 1959 i 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

, NORMAN L. SELTZER BYj y s W Sept. 24, 1963 bl L. SELTZER 3,104,634

DVIAPER Filed Sept. 21, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I l I i I l INVENTOR.

NORMAN L. SELTZER FILLING YARNS Sept. 24, 1963 Filed Sept. 21, 1959 N. L. SELTZER 3,104,684

DIAPER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WARP YARNS INVENTOR.

NORMAN L SELTZER BY w 3,104,684 Patented Sept. 24, 1963 lab This invention relates to an absorbent textile structure intended to be laundered repeatedly during the life of the article, such as a diaper or the like. In particular, this invention relates to a textile diaper fabric whose yarns are interwoven in such a manner as to prevent corruga-,

tion or distortion of the fabric when it is laundered by machine.

A large proportion of the diapers now in use are either of multi-ply woven gauze, or of single layer birdseye weave. The multi-ply gauze diapers have separate plies or layers, usually two or three, that are customarily woven in a common selvage along their longitudinal edges and interwoven across the warp or machine direction of the fabric in a spaced series of transverse strips. Individual diapers are formed by cutting or pinking the fabric along the center-line of each transverse strip. Examples of such constructions are illustrated in United States Patents 1,815,059 and 2,619,089.

Diapers are intended to be laundered repeatedly during the life of the article, and the laundering is usually performed by machines which combine vigorous agitation with a tumbling action. Since by its nature a gauze diaper is a low-count, open weave, relatively porous article, the yarns which are highly swollen and plasticized by the laundering procedure have room enough to be displaced thereby in an efifort to neutralize the twist that has been imparted to them in weaving. The release of such forces apparently is the cause of standing waves or corrugations in the laundered diaper.

: t is an object of this invention to provide a gauze diaper which will not corrugate during laundering, without resorting to the over-all use of resins, durable finishing agents, or oppositely-twisted yarns.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a diaper whereby the untwisting tendency of the yarns, which apparently lead to corrugation of the article, is inhibited by the weave structure to such an extent that few, if any, corrugations are formed on laundering.

It is a third object of. the invention to provide an economical means for the production of a dimensionally stable diaper which resists the tendency towrinkle or corrugate on laundering.

In gauze-type diapers, with which this invention is concerned, the yarns tend to untwist during laundering, leading to corrugation. I have discovered that the degree 'of interlacing between warp and filling yarns in a gauze diaper is a dominant factor in determining how readily the diaper will corrugate, The greater the number of yarn interlacings per unit area of fabric, the less the tendency to corrugate. One obvious solution, then, would be to start adding more warp or filling yarns, to increase the number of interlacings. However, unless done with care in design, the use of additional yarns can be prohibitively expensive in such a competitive product.

Moreover, the use of additional yarns can cause an overall tightening of the fabric, especially when wet, so that it rapidly loses the soft, comfortable hand characteristic of open-weave gauze diapers.

I have found that I can elfectively eliminate the tendency of gauze-type diapers to corrugate on laundering by converting the multi-layered gauze diapers into a more unitary structure, through the device of causingsome or all of the yarns in one layer intermittently to interlace with those in the other layer. This, in effect, increases the number of interlacings in each layer without the addition of more warp or filling yarns.

This interweaving or interlacing should preferably be so spaced, i.e., intermittent, and so limited in degree in any one unit area, that there is no pronounced stiffening of the fabric and no tendency to depart, even locally, from the soft, porous nature of the product. The interlacings should, however, be placed sufiiciently close together as to prevent corrugation.

The invention resides in the employment of a particular weave pattern in which the effective number of interlacings betweenwarp and filling yarns in one layer of a two-layer diaper is periodically increased by causing some of the yarns from the other layer to interlace with yarns from the first layer. Normally, the warp yarns of one layer will be interwoven with filling yarns of the other layer. The nature of this interlacing is more fully set forth below. The weave structure of this invention cannot be considered as either single-layer or double-layer in the customary sense, since it is more nearly a cross betweenthe two. For the purpose of disclosure and claims, however, it is here described principally in terms of an integrated two-layer weave. (In the drawings the yarns of one layer are shaded to facilitate disclosure.) Alternatively, it could be described in'terms of a single-layer fabric having peculiar dual warp and fill floats.

In general, I have found that if each of at least about 50% of the warp yarns in one layer of a two-layered gauze diaper are caused to interlace with at least about 10% of the filling yarns in the other layer, a remarkably pronounced resistance to corrugation is effected. It is preferred that the interlacing be so spaced that each interlacing warp yarn of the first layer is interwoven with only one out of every 7 to 10 filling yarns in the other layer. The placement and spacing of these added interlacings is preferably randomized over a substantial area, so that the net effect is essentially random over a large repeat area and free of cumulative effects.

Alternatively, each of at least about 25% of the total warp yarns of both layers taken together may be interlaced with at least about 10% of the filling yarns of the layer not including the particular warp yarn. Or, the effect may be had by having the above higher percentage filling yarns and the above lower percentage warp yarns. These minimum numbers of interlacings provide added interlacings of 10% x 50%, or 5%, in each layer. In

the conventional range of diaper constructions, described below, this would result in one added interlacing for about every one-sixteenth of a square inch of surface area using the weave. These interlacings provide corrugation resist points or corrugation stop points.

It is my belief that the introduction of this randomized pattern of enhanced resistance to corrugation acts by preventing propagation of wrinkles, rather than by com pletely preventing their initiation. Inlprior art diapers, standing waves are formed which may rise one-quarter inch or more from the plane of the fabric, and may measure one-half inch'or more from peak to peak. This is not only unsightly, but so much fabric is drawn into this wave configuration that the diaper shrinks excessively in both length and width, often becoming unfit for use. By thus adding to the number of interlacings, according to my invention, 1 create amultiplicity of small resist areas or stability points where wave propagation becomes impossible due to increased weave tightness at those. points. V

The nature of this invention may be better understood by reference to the drawings. 4 I

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a diaper made according to the teachings of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a part of the body portion of a plain-woven open mesh, prior art gauze diaper, showing two superimposed layers of gauze. The conventional selvages and interwaves are not shown.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a similar part of the body portion of a plain-weave gauze diaper modified according to this invention.

FIGURE 4 is a draft diagram of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of part of the body portion of a twill-weave gauze diaper, also modified according to this invention, and constituting the diaper of Example II.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of one repeat of another embodiment of this invention.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the section of FIGURE 6 enclosed by dotted lines, but woven in a different manner as explained below.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of part of the body portion of the diaper of Example I.

FIGURE 1 shows a diaper on which my invention may be used. This diaper has a central absorbent bodyportion 60 with selvages 61 and 62 and the customary pinking bars 63 and 64. The diaper weave of my invention would normally be used only in part or all of the body 60. It may also be used in the pinking bars 63 and 64, if desired. Other designs may, of course, also be used at least partially incorporating my diaper weave; these might include hemming or otherwise treating one or both of the pinked edges in lieu of pinking, and using a fabric of less than full loom width which would result in elimination of one or both selvage edges from the finished product. 1

For convenience, it is also contemplated, if desired, to pro-fold and sew the diapers of my invention in any conventional manner, or otherwise more or less permanently fasten a folded diaper into a shape that supplies panels of areas of greater thickness and hence greater absorbency.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the portion shown is typical of prior art plain-weave gauze diapers. The warp yarns in this drawing are numbered 1 through 12 with the oddnumbered yarns being in the upper layer and the evennumbered yarns in the lower layer. The filling yarns are numbered 1' through 12 with the odd-numbered yarns being in the upper layer and the even-numbered yarns being in the lower layer. In this portion there are, in effect, two'completely separate plain-Weave fabrics, the upper fabric made of odd-numbered yarns (which are not shaded in this drawing) and the lower fabric made of even-numbered yarns (shaded). For convenience, this same yarn numbering system and shading is used in the other drawings.

Diapers such as illustrated in the figures are commonly made of low-count fabrics, that is, in a count of from about 36 to about 42 warp yarns and about 30 to about 38 filling yarns per inch in each layer, both sets of yarns ranging in size from about 24s to about 37s. Twist multiples of the yarns in both layers ordinarily range from 3.25 to 4.0 in the filling and from 3.75 to 4.75 in the warp, depending to some extent on the staple length of the fibre used. If it is desired to provide a stretchable, conformable diaper, twist multiples in either or both sets of yarns, or in selected groups of said yarns, may be in-.

creased to the point where the desired yarn elasticity is provided. This would preferably be done by increasing the twist multiple of the warp yarns, filling yarns, or both, to up to about 6.5 or 7.0.

The weave shown in FIGURE 2 has been modified in FIGURE 3 in accordance with my invention. Warp yarns of the lower layer are shown to be interlaced with filling yarns of the upper layer at the points that have been numbered and circled. Thus, warp yarn 2 and filling yarn 1' interlace at point 21; 6 and 9 at point 22; andlt) and 5' at point 23. Except for this interas illustrated in FIGURE 1.

layer interlacing, the weaves of the two layers are unchanged from that disclosed in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 3 shows the preferred minimum amount of URE 3 are randomly spaced, that is, the added inter' i lacings in the repeat do not together form a geometric figure such as a square, a cross, parallel lines, a circle, etc., and are not in regular sequence. Though I prefer to have random distribution of interlacings, it is some times preferable, for simplicity in weaving or for decorative effects, to have the interlacings in each repeat ordered rather than randomized. Likewise, it is preferable to have the layers interlaced intermittently so that the diaper retains substantially the softness found in ordinary twolayer gauze diaper.

FIGURE 4 shows the weave of FIGURE 3 in a draft diagram. The circled interlacing points 21, 22 and 23 are also shown.

In one respect, the fabric represented by FIGURES 3' and 4 may be considered similar toan x 80 print cloth, or so-cal led 80 square, wherein the warp yarns are caused to float over the filling yarns in a manner that allows the fabric to be wet out without becoming objectionably stiff and harsh, and yet retain the resistwarp yarns float under three filling yarns (odd, even,

odd); over one even-numbered filling yarn and repeat this course except that at least once in every complete repeat of the basic design, the even-numbered warp yarns pass over two successive filling yarns instead of one. When this occurs, as at points 21 through 30, the evennumbered warp yarn which has passed over two successive filling yarns (odd and even) then floats under two, instead of three, successive filling yarns before resuming the normal one-three pattern.

FIGURE 5 shows a further modification of this inven+ tion. Here the separate layers are not plain weave, but are twill weave. The invention, however, is equally useful in this instance. As with the example of FIG U'RE 3, the two layers have been interwoven by interlacing of warp yarns from one layer with filling yarns from the other layer. These interlacings are shown at circled points 24 through 29.

In some instances it is desirable to cause all of the warp yarns in one surface of the diaper fabric to interlace with filling yarns in the other surface. Such a structure is shown in FIGURE 6, wherein the warp yarns of one layer, numbered 2 through 20 (even numbers only), are interwoven with the filling yarns of the other layer, numbered 1' through 19 (odd numbers only). The interlacings are circled and numbered as 30 through 39. If there were no'interlacings between the shaded and the unshaded yarns, this figure would represent two individual super-imposed layers of fabric, such as a part of the body of a two-layered conventional gauze diaper harsh to serve as a diaper. This later structure is shown in FIGURE 7, which represents a complete interweave' of the warp yarns and filling yarns, 1 through 6 and 1 through 6, respectively, of the section shown by the dotted lines in FIGURE 6.

FIGURES 6 and 7 are drawn to the same relative scale. In FIGURE 7, all yams in both sets are inter 7 On the other hand, if the interlacing were between every warp and filling yarn, the fabric would be a plain-weave structure where all y yarnsare so tightly crowded as to render it too stiif and concomitant disadvantage of stiffness. In the fabric of FIGURE 6, showing the same set of yarns but with only the single added interlacing shown at point 30, there is no noticeable increase in stiffness of the diaper, but there is a decided decrease in the tendency to corrugate. It should be borne in mind that in a diaper of, for example 40 x 38 construction (40 warp threads and 38 filling threads in each layer), the whole area represented by FIGURE 6 covers approximately one-sixteenth of a square inch. I have found that the corrugation tendencies of a diaper in the 40 x 38 range are greatly suppressed if the weave construction of FIGURE 6 is followed, i.e., if the interlacings or local resist areas represented by points 30 through 39 are positioned so that there are about ten such areas for each one-sixteenth of a square inch of interlaced fabric. The interlaced resist areas of this invention range from about 0.001 to 0.0005 square inch in area.

The following examples illustrate specific diapers Woven in accordance with my invention and are given by way of illustration of my invention and not of limitation thereof:

Example I This diaper is woven with both warp and filling yarns of 30/1 and twist multiples of 3.80, all 2 direction. Each of the two body layers has a weave count of 45 x 36, making a total count of 90 x 72. Considering the layers separately, each is of plain weave.

The layers are randomly interwoven, however, as shown in FIGURE 8, in an interlacing repeat of 16 total ends and 16 total picks. The interlacings occur at points numbered 40 through 47 so that in each repeat every warp yarn of the lower layer (even numbers, shaded) is interlaced once with one filling yarn of the upper layer (even numbers, unshaded), i.e., one filling yarn out of every eight in the layer; and no one filling yarn of the upper layer is interlaced more than once with a warp yarn in the repeat. Thus, in each repeat there are as many total interlacings as there are warp yarns of one layer. This gives a total of added interlacings per layer of 100% (warp) x 6125 (fill), or 6.25%. This is above the preferred minimum of 5%.

The weave of this example may also be considered not as an interwoven two-layer structure, but as a modified 90 X 72 single-layer print clot-h. Instead of the usual plain weave, the fabric is woven so that all the oddnumbered warp yarns fioat over three filling yarns in succession (odd, even, odd), under the next even-numbered filling yarn, and repeat. The even-numbered warp yarns float under three filling yarns (even, odd, even), over one odd-numbered filling yarn, and repeat, except that at least once in every repeat, the even-numbered warp yarns pass over two successive filling yarns instead of one. When this occurs, the even-numbered warp yarns then float under two, instead of three, successive filling yarns before resuming the normal one-three pattern. These interruptions of the normal pattern are distributed randomly over the repeat.

In addition to the body weave described above, the diaper would have the conventional fully interwoven pinking bars, and selvage edges, as described above in connection with FIGURE 1.

EXAMPLE II This diaper is woven with both warp and filling yarns of 30/1 with twist multiples of 3.80 in the warp and 6.25 in the filling, the latter to provide elasticity across the diaper. All twists were in the Z direction. Each of the two body layers has a weave count of 45 x 36, making a total count of 90 x 72. Considering the layers separately, each is of twill weave.

The layers are randomly interwoven, however, as shown in FIGURE 5, in an interlacing repeat of 6 total ends and 12 total picks. The interlacings occur at points numbered 24 through 29, so that in each repeat every warp yarn of the lower layer (even numbers, shaded) is interlaced with two filling yarns of the upper layer (odd numbers, .unshaded), i.e., two filling yarns out of every six in the layer; and no one filling yarn is interlaced more than once with a warp yarn in the repeat. Thus, the total added interlacings per layer of 100% (warp) x 33% (fill), or 33%, is above the preferred minimum of 5%.

The weave of this example may alsobe considered not as an interwoven two-layer structure, but as a modified 90 x 72 single-layer twill. The fabric is woven so that all odd-numbered warp yarns float over three, five or seven filling yarns (even, odd, even, etc, in that order); under the next odd-numbered filling yarn and repeat. The even-numbered warp yarns float under two, three, four or five filling yarns. These even-numbered warp yarns usually pass over only even-numbered filling yarns, but in the places marked with circles in the figure, they also pass over odd-numbered filling y'arns.

In addition to the body weave described above, the diaper would have the conventional fully interwoven pinking :bars, and selvage edges, as described above in connection with FIGURE 1.

The diapers of this invent-ion may be woven on conventional Dobby looms.

Whether my structure is regarded as a single layer fabric which has been softened by a particular pattern of floats or as a two-layered fabric that has been unified into a single layer by a particular type of interweave, is immaterial. What I have devised is a new method of combining the softness and quick-drying properties of an open-weave absorbent product with the dimensional stability and corrugation-resistance of a tighter weave, in

a manner that conserves the desirable features of both types of structures. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that various other basic weaves may be modified in accordanceWit-h this invention to utilize the teachings of my invention and that the modified weave may be used over all or merely a selected portion of the diaper body.

I claim:

1. A wrinkle-resistant woven diaper, said diaper including two absorbent body layers each having an end count between about 36 and about 42 warp yarns per inch and a pick count between about 30 and about 38 filling yarns per inch, said layers being joined along their edges, said layers being intermittently interlaced in their central portions by spaced inter-layer interweaving of each of at least fifty percent of the warp yarns of one of said layers with at least ten percent of the filling yarns of the other of said layers in each repeat in said central portions.

2. The diaper of claim 1 in which no filling yarn interlaces with more than one warp yarn in each repeat.

3. A wrinkle-resistant diaper formed of warp and filling y'arns woven to define a two-layer body portion, said body portion of said diaper being characterized by a multiplicity of spaced-apart wrinkle-resistant areas dispersed substantially throughout the length and breadth of said body portion, said multiple wrinkle-resistant areas "being formed by causing at least about fifty percent of one set of the yarns in one of said layers to interlace interrnittently with at least about ten percent of the oppositelydirected set of yarns in the other of said layers.

4. The diaper of claim 3 in which the points of interlacing are randomly distributed within each repeat of the interlaced portions.

5. The diaper of claim 3 in which each of at least about fifty percent of the warp yarns in the interlaced portions of one body layer is interlaced with at least about 10 percent of the filling yarns of the other body layer.

6. The diaper of claim 5 in which the points of interlacing are randomly distributed within each repeat of the interlaced portions.

7. A wrinkle-resistant diaper formed of two low-count absorbent body layers each composed of a set of warp '3 8 yarns and a set of filling yarns, said body portion of said 'References Cited in the file of this patent diaper being characterized by a :nlult-iplicity of spaced- UNITED STATES PATENTS apart wrlnkle-reslstant areas dispersed substantially throughout the length and breadth of said body portion, 1,815,059 Goldstem July 21, 1931 said multiple wrinkle-resistant areas being formed by caus- 5 2,118,658 Sayers May 1 3 ing at least about fifty percent of one set of the yarns in 2,619,089 swar'tz -V 25 1952' one layer to interlace intermittently with at least about ten 2,632,480 Maclmyre 24, .1953 percent of the oppositely-directed set of yarns in the other 218571654 Sexton 28, 1958 of said layers, there being at least ten such interlacings 2,924,252 Baron 19610 t in each one-sixteenth of a square inch in said body por- 1() tion. 

3. A WRINKLE-RESISTANT DIAPER FORMED OF WARP AND FILLING YARNS WOVEN TO DEFINE A TWO-LAYER BODY PORTION, SAID BODY PORTION OF SAID DIAPER BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A MULTIPLICITY OF SPACED-APART WRINKLE-RESISTANT AREAS DISPERSED SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF SAID BODY PORTION, SAID MULTIPLE WRINKLE-RESISTANT AREAS BEING FORMED BY CAUSING AT LEAST ABOUT FIFTY PERCENT OF ONE SET OF THE YARNS IN ONE OF SAID LAYERS TO INTERLACE INTERMITTENTLY WITH AT LEAST ABOUT TEN PERCENT OF THE OPPOSITELYDIRECTED SET OF YARNS IN THE OTHER OF SAID LAYERS. 